AUSTIN, TEXAS – Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey player Carolyn Draayer (Sr., Deephaven, Minn.) and women’s swimmer Katie Olson (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.) have been named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Division III At-Large Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Draayer, a two-time Capital One Academic All-District honoree and a member of the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America Team as a third team recipient, is making her first appearance on the first team following her final season of collegiate hockey. Olson earned a spot on the third team after being named an Academic All-District honoree for the first time in her career.
Draayer, a communications major with a cumulative grade point average of 3.97, was recently one of 29 female winter sports student-athletes from across Divisions I, II and III to earn a prestigious postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA. During her senior season, she played in all 26 of her team’s games and assisted the Golden Gusties to an MIAC Championship, her third as a member of the team. She led the team in goals (12), ranked second in points (20) and scored a team-best four game-winning goals and five power play goals. Draayer recorded five multiple-point games and scored two goals twice. In the MIAC’s postseason awards, the Deephaven native earned All-Conference honors for the second straight season and was awarded the Sheila Brown Award, which focuses on team leadership, sportsmanship, volunteer work, academic excellence, hockey skills and production on the ice.
“Congratulations to Carolyn on another well-deserved achievement,” said head coach Mike Carroll. “She continues to amaze me in how she has been so driven to succeed both on and off the ice. She leads by example and it rubs off on our whole team. In her four years, we have had quite a bit of success in terms of wins, but have also had several successes in the classroom, with numerous players who have received academic accolades. She has lead our team in those areas and her legacy will continue as she has set a high bar for future Gusties.”
In her four seasons donning a three-crowned sweater, Draayer logged ice time in 113-of-115 games and served as a captain during her junior and senior years. She scored a total of 81 points off 52 goals and 29 assists and also netted a total of 19 game-winners. During her four-year Gustavus tenure, the Gustie women’s hockey team won three MIAC titles and carried a record of 87-19-7 overall and 63-7-2 in the MIAC. She also earned the 2014 MIAC Elite 22 Award, which is presented to the individual with the highest GPA on the active roster at the MIAC Playoff championship contest, and the NCAA Elite 89 Award at the 2013 NCAA Championships, which is given to the player with the highest cumulative grade point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.
Olson, a biology and psychology double major with a cumulative GPA of 3.75, won four gold medals and earned a total of six All-Conference awards at this season’s MIAC Championships. She repeated as conference champion in the 100 freestyle, and helped the 200-free relay, 400-free relay and 400-medley relay teams take the top spot on the podium. Olson went on to solidify her legacy as the second-most decorated swimmer in program history with All-American swims in the 200-medley relay (7th) and 200-free relay (8th) at the NCAA Championships. She also earned All-America Honorable Mention status in the 100 free (13th), 400-medley relay (9th), 400-free relay (9th) and 800-free relay (16th) and recently came in third place in Gustavus’s Female Athlete-of-the-Year voting.
“I can’t think of a student-athlete that I’ve coached that is more deserving of this honor,” said head coach Jon Carlson. “Katie has exemplified what it means to be a true student and athlete throughout her four years at Gustavus. For her to win this honor is the culmination of four years of dedication in the pool and classroom. With Katie graduating, we not only lose one of the best swimmers in our program, but also one of the best examples I’ve ever had of what it means to be a student-athlete.”
Olson is also a three-time College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American and a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree. She helped lead her team to MIAC titles in each of her four seasons and a 10th place finish in the 2015 NCAA Championships, seventh place in 2014, 10th in 2013, and 11th in 2012.
Among the 45 student-athletes of each gender selected to the Division III Academic All-America At-Large teams, eight men and eight women carry 4.00 or better grade point averages. The 16 members of the women’s at-large first team carry an average GPA of 3.91, while the 15 members of the men’s at-large team carry an average GPA of 3.90. Draayer and Olson are the lone female honorees from the MIAC, while Drew Fielding (hockey) and Alex Kapraun (golf) of the University of St. Thomas were the lone males representing the MIAC. This marks the third season in a row that Gustavus has had two representatives on the Academic All-America Division III At-Large Team. In 2013, Lindsey Hjelm ’13 and Alissa Tinklenberg ’14 earned the distinction, while Draayer and Tinklenberg were last season’s honorees.